Theresa LaRock
Hi there, I am Theresa a Culinary Nutrition Expert; I create meal plans and educate clients to help them meet their nutritional needs, or manage and or help prevent health issues using whole foods. Basically, I take the guess the work out of how to create a healthy dietary lifestyle. I am also a speaker, cook, and whole food educator. These are what I do, but at the end of the day the fact that I am a mom, a wife, and a friend fuel my passion for sharing my expertise of healthy living.
I know all too well the challenges and struggles that come along with juggling motherhood, family, and a full-time job. Most of all I know firsthand how wearing multiple hats can interfere with being mindful of our own well-being. Sound familiar?
Health Challenges
I always thought I was healthy. I ate well, at least I thought I was eating well. Exercise was a part of my daily routine. I was doing all the right things to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Since I worked out a lot, I indulged occasionally, as everyone deserves a treat every once in a while. Overall, I looked healthy on the outside, but on the inside, I was definitely not healthy.
Over time the combination of my “healthy” eating habits and environmental triggers created the perfect storm in my body to develop allergies and asthma. At the time I did not understand why this was happening, and with a full time job and three children to raise I did not feel I had the time to find out. I simply wanted to feel better.
For over 20 years I learned to live with allergies and asthma. Taking daily medications and carrying an inhaler became routine along with the constant worrying of when the next asthma attack was going to happen. I was a frequent flyer at the local emergency room, and every autumn I would inevitably wind up with a bout of phenomena or bronchitis.
My pulmonologist, primary physician, and allergy doctors were all helpful, as they managed my symptoms and medications. But, in 20 years, not one ever asked me the simple question: What are you eating?
In 2016 I said no more! I decided to take my health into my own hands and find a way to rid myself of the daily medications, inability to live a full active life, and finally breathe easy. I made the decision to seek out a different expertise, one of a Naturopathic doctor. After meeting with a Naturopathic doctor and through testing I learned many of the foods I was eating—that I thought were healthy—were contributing to my asthma and allergy symptoms. I was given a list of supplements, a packet with information of foods to avoid, and better foods to consume. I left the office feeling a renewed sense of hope, I got this!
I very quickly realized this is not going to be as easy as I thought. I had to learn to shop and cook all over again. I had to learn to read food labels properly to ensure I was not buying anything that contained the newly forbidden ingredients: gluten, dairy, or sugar. So many foods contain some form of sugar or gluten in them, UGH! I had to come to terms with the fact I was not able to eat cheese any longer. I’m Italian! Need I say more?
Over time and with lots of experimentation, I developed my own recipes to meet my needs that were full of flavor and simple to make.
After a few months of my new nutritional lifestyle, I was off all medications and able to manage my asthma and allergies through lifestyle changes! I was amazed! I wish I had known 20 years ago that changing my diet would be a key factor to better health.
I would love to say that I am cured, and I no longer suffer from asthma. But the fact is currently there is no cure for asthma, simply treatments. Through education and changing my diet I have learned to live a quality life with it, symptom free.
New beginnings
If I were someone who did not like to cook or have basic cooking skills, would I have been as successful following the protocol that I was given? I don’t believe so. That is what led me to the Academy of Culinary Nutrition where I learned the fundamentals of nutrition and the tips and tricks in the kitchen—everything I needed to know to continue my own personal journey, and have the confidence to bring it to others. I realized there are many individuals who want to become their own “wellness warrior,” and take their health into their own hands, but they simply don’t know where to start. Whether it be working with a protocol provided by a practitioner or simply wanting to live a healthier lifestyle, it can be overwhelming and scary. That is what Theresa’s Table is all about: Teaching others how to work through their health journeys through culinary nutrition and doing it together to ensure positive change and success.
Theresa’s Garden. to Theresa’s Table
2020